The Black Plot
by Lissy1379
Summary: Did you ever wonder what drove Andromeda to want to marry Ted Tonks? Or what exactly madre Bellatrix insane? And did Narcissa actually do anything for herself? This is my take on a subtle uprising which happened within the Black household. And who said that men were better than women? The Black sisters show their own opinion on being bossed about...


The Black girls knew that Hogwarts was the only sweet escape and chance of freedom that they would have in their lifetimes. It would be the only place that they would be able to do as they pleased without their parents knowing; obviously rumours and gossip would be heard, but it was their jobs to make sure that all of that was positive.

Previously they may not have been given a chance of education at all, for who were they but lowly women only there to protect the family inheritance and pass their lineage on? But now –like in the Muggle world- it was compulsory for them to attend school. And why Hogwarts? It was the cheapest by far; and why would their family want to pay more to have a better education at places like Beauxbatons or Durmstrang when they were practically worthless?

They were taught from the beginning of their lives that women had no opinion in society; they were there to breed and give birth to healthy offspring. That was all: nothing more or anything less. So when Bellatrix, the eldest, started the school, she was surprised to find that her opinion _did_ count, and that women _could _do everything just as well as the boys: perhaps even better!

Each holiday whisperings and tellings of the school were told to the younger two: potion ingredients were named, enchantments taught and gossip about other students. For the first time the girls believed that they may actually be able to do things in life. But they were still terrified of their father, family and consequences that came with hope, so they still learnt but remembered to keep their heads down.

But they did rebel even if in not the most obvious of ways.

Bellatrix, or Bella as was her preferred name, remembered and learnt every word, incantation and syllable of every cruel enchantment in hopes that someday she could teach their father a lesson of how she _wasn't _worthless. But when the time came, she did join Voldemort and marry as her father expected. But not for the reasons he believed; she _was _in love, and she _did _believe that Voldemort could help her to improve her place in society. For Voldemort, although a dictator and murderer, was not sexist, and welcomed Death Eaters both male and female. And when the time came that her father was murdered, it was her with her endearing and thoughtful Lord that had committed the crime in question.

But afterwards? She was as much of a slave as she had been in her father's care, but this time she enjoyed being as slave. For she did have a purpose; she did have a responsibility; and she did have power, no matter how sick or twisted it was.

Narcissa was the youngest, but she is whom we come to next. She was always thought of as the weakest, but really she was the most intelligent and therefore underestimated. The Black family thought that girls were thoughtless and dim-witted, but Cissy made it her job to prove that thought wrong.

As the sorting hat remarked, "If it wasn't part of her disguise, you would be a Ravenclaw." Although it did find itself remarking later on, "But I suppose that you having a disguise makes you even more Slytherin." The hat did find itself wondering about the Black girls later on throughout their years at the school, for he could quite clearly see their plans of rebellion in their minds.

But Cissy excelled at school, gaining full sets of "Outstanding's" in both her NEWT's and OWL's surpassing even the standards of the Ravenclaw's. When she was later on made Head Girl she did find herself facing the wrath of her father, who believed she was "good for nothing but heirs", but nothing could stop the old Professor Dumbledore refusing her denial of the position, and so she became Head Girl, and one of the greatest that the school did have.

When she finished school her father was still annoyed with her intelligence, but hardly anything could be done about that. He didn't know about her extra hours spent under covers and in the library muttering incantations, and desperately trying to remember names. But perhaps he would have if he had been allowed to spy on them like he had wished. Again Albus Dumbledore was their saviour putting his foot down again for the sakes of these three sisters.

But alas, Cissy did fall foul of her father's wrath –at least to a certain extent- for she was betrothed as soon as she was out of school. It was almost as if her father was afraid that someday she would turn-tail on him and attack him viciously. Little did he know of how much she wished to do so.

The boy she was betrothed to was a weasel-faced spoilt brat that treated her as though she was his property; which sadly she technically was now. At the time of their betrothal he was an arrogant fourth year, and although she heard tales of his "night-time adventures" she couldn't care less.

When it was time for them to actually marry, she found he resented her, and her him for why couldn't either of them have had a life straight out of school without marriage getting in the way? It was only after a horrific match of insults and hexes which her father overheard, that the boy –Lucius Malfoy- truly came to know her. After disappearing with her father for an hour he became worried and went out to find her.

He found her covered in scars and bruises, lying twitching and crying on the floor, then he realised that she was just as forced and vulnerable in this situation as he was. He cast healing charms, and held her while she cried, until eventually she stopped sobbing and between them they agreed upon a sort of "business ethic" between them. She would act as the so-called "proper" wife, and he would commit to working properly and not resenting her for everything.

It was the day that he bought flowers at a whim that he realised that he, the playboy, was falling for the very girl he had first resented. He knew she would never realise his love, although perhaps after the second war she did, and he did love that girl.

But they still fell foul of life, joining You-Know-Who in the fight against Muggles and Muggleborns, and killing part of what they believed in, in the process.

They did have a son, Draco, and through him their lineage was passed, and although Draco hated them at times, he was one of the most-loved children around. His parents may have been a little too strict, and his views he was brought up to believe in prejudiced, but he was loved.

The third child was Andromeda, although the second of the sisters. She was perhaps the most foolish, yet the bravest in what she chose to do to rebel against her father and his out-of-date-beliefs. It had originally intended just to be something to wind him up. But it did become way out of proportion.

You see, they did vow together to do something to displease their father when they went to Hogwarts. The intention was for them to do something while they could, but it would be something that would make him go bonkers without making him suspect them. But Andromeda was unable to do the former without dismissing the latter.

It was fifth year really when it all began. She had reached the age of fifteen, and was still unable to think of anything to do: her older sister was in her final year of her treacherous plan; her younger sister had already started her plan, and was already three years in; but Andromeda, she just sat there unsure of _what _that she could do. She could be too bright, but that would be stealing her sisters' idea, and she could in no way be anything like Bella with her cruelty and lack of feelings.

But it was when the hormones kicked in that she did realise her way to deal with her father. Boys had started to notice her, after all, she was the prettiest in the year, so why wouldn't they? She didn't want to become a whore who knelt and followed every other boys command; and besides, that was too much like her fathers' ideas on the jobs for women. It would also make her lose her dignity and affect her far too much in the future.

No, she had to do something that would make him really furious, but still boy-related. But what exactly she didn't know.

It was when she had been forced into tutoring a fifth-year Hufflepuff that her inspiration did finally come. His name was Ted Tonks, and he was accident-prone, and a mudblood. By any means that didn't make him anything special; only a means to get the revenge she wanted.

She mentioned it to Bella; she worried about her perhaps having to stick her tongue down the boys' throat. She mentioned it to Cissy; she worried more about the boys' feelings. But Andromeda couldn't be perturbed easily. _After all, _she reasoned with herself, _if he was mudblood and as dumb as she believed them to be. It would be _his _fault for falling for her guise. And plus, as a mudblood, he had no place in the wizarding society, and therefore no right for derogatory feelings so there was no reason to worry about him._

But her plan wasn't entirely without flaws, when her father found out trouble would be stirred, as well as punishment for both her and him. But when he did, she believed she could persuade her father that the boy put her under a spell.

So "Ted Tonks, mudblood date" was her plan. She had thought it through, and for her it seemed perfect. Her only problem was getting him to like her, but she did believe that it wasn't exactly hard to make him do so.

Every lesson, she chatted, helped and flirted with him. And whilst he remained a perfect gentleman, he seemed no more inclined to like her than she realistically felt towards him.

Fifth year passed into sixth, and she was starting to grow bored, and also started to like him which made the scenario all the more dangerous. It was only when she finally asked him to a Hogsmeade visit with her out of frustration of her lack of progress, that she found out why he refused to like her:

"It isn't that I don't, I just know enough about your family to know to say no."

What it was supposed to mean, she had no clue. She replayed the words over and over in her mind, twisting and twirling them, trying desperately for them to make any sense. It was only when she saw him looking at her in the Great Hall that she realised what the words meant and why she had refused to let herself believe them before.

She liked him. And not just a little bit, more an "oh-my-God-I-seriously-really-like-you-in-a-more-than-friends" way. She had slowly fallen for him, and while she had intended for him to crash, burn and be punished, the opposite had happened. She was hurt by his words, and he hadn't even noticed. Why this had happened she didn't know, still trying to remind herself that he was "mudblood scum". But even inside her head these words sounded harsh.

She still continued to tutor him, and help him through lessons, but she was torn, and her heart was no longer in it. This was when he realised that she may not have been playing him, and she may in fact like him. And what he could do about that he didn't entirely know.

So when he kissed her, it wasn't pre-planned, it was on impulse, and perfect for both of them. And he now knew for definite from the way she kissed back that she wasn't just playing him. So it was an understatement to say that he was shocked when the kiss ended and she ran off in tears.

He was unable to find her and neither could he speak to her until two days later, she appeared in the Great Hall. He cornered her as she walked out of the hall, and together they walked until they found an empty classroom, and then they talked. Talked for too long, talked for not long enough, talked until their voices were hoarse. Just. Talked.

She explained her family problems, she explained her trying to get on her father's nerves, and explained everything, as he could no longer admit to not liking her anymore, they did start to have a relationship. Albeit, a guarded and private one only known between the two of them.

It was during a Quidditch match that everyone found out, and she lost her family. Despite most Slytherin's claiming it to be a man's sport, and how few female players were hardly ever seen on their team, Andromeda was part of the Slytherin team. Keeper, and the best one in all of Hogwarts, although none of the other houses, no matter how grudgingly, would never admit that. It was Slytherin versus Ravenclaw when the accident occurred; knocked off her broom by a bludger that she was too slow to avoid.

Ted was horrified and found himself running across the Quidditch pitch; the fastest out of everyone, and picking up her unconscious body, whilst going towards the Hospital Wing at a run. Everyone was surprised, but Cissy was the only one who was downright worried. No-one really cared for the Slytherin keeper, admittedly the house was annoyed to have such a good player knocked out of the game, reducing their chances of winning, but no-one else _really _cared; it was the gossip they were more concerned about.

But Cissy also saw the look of tenderness upon Ted's face when he carried her sprinting across the pitch. She knew he'd fallen too far, and as much as she had been revered to hate mudbloods, she didn't want anyone hurt too badly. The mudblood included.

Andromeda was in the Hospital Wing for three days before she woke up, a further one more before she was allowed to leave, and she knew nothing about being carried across the pitch by Ted.

So when a howler arrived the next day screaming insults of how "disgraced they were from her being with a mudblood" and "the way that you have even attempted a perverted relationship", she was more than a little surprised. But Ted who was sat on a separate table was just plain upset at how they could treat her like that.

Andromeda tried to maintain her dignity and not cry like a baby, but two howlers and an un-opened letter from Bella later, she was sprinting out of the Great Hall. She was unsurprised to find Ted pursuing her, but kept on running until she lost him and was lost on one of the higher floors. After pacing around a bit, a door appeared and she went inside.

Within the room was a mirror within which she saw her and Ted standing there happily married, but there was also family minus her dad standing there encouragingly, with joy upon their faces. And it was within this moment that she realised she would now have to choose between her boy and family. What she would pick, she had no clue.

The letter from Bella still remained within her hands, and she slowly unfurled the now-crumpled note to read the elegant scrawl upon it:

_Andy,_

_I knew that you had wishes to annoy father, but I fear you may have gone too far this time. I fear for you, and suggest that unless you have pumpkin juice for brains, you blame it _all _upon the mudblood.  
>If you suffer for this, remember this is of your own doing. <em>You _chose this form of payback, while I may bide my time and Cissy may have been crafty, we weren't too stupid.  
>Make sure you don't get the blame.<em>

_Bella x_

How such cold words could be followed with a kiss Andromeda didn't know, but those thoughtless words were what decided it for her. She didn't need her family; they had never done anything for her. And while Ted had been wary, he had never openly insulted or been plain rude to her or her family. Surely that meant to choose her family would be stupid?

Ted was her choice, and Ted she remained with. Her parents disinherited her, and she knew that she would have been blasted off her aunt's family tree. When she thought of that her eyes welled up with tears, but as time progressed and she got married, and gave birth to a beautiful daughter, she no longer thought of that as an insult; it was something she thought of with pride.

There were once three sisters from the family of Black:

The oldest, Bellatrix, dug herself a hole which became her imprisonment. But she loved every minute of her torture, and the people she killed in the process. She never minded that she killed her cousin, niece and nephew-in-law. Her conscience was clean, though probably shouldn't have been. Her escape from her father became her demise, death and what should've been her biggest regret.

The youngest, Narcissa, became a house wife and unhappy in life escaping her doom. The love she felt was for her son, and in turn grandson. She was terrified when she did realise that her husband loved her, and his words weren't empty. Eventually she did accept it, and although she never admitted it, she did love him back. She was seriously jealous of Andromeda.

And Andromeda? She was the happiest of the three without question. Despite her husband and daughters' untimely deaths, she learnt from a bad situation to find the best in people, and not to make assumptions about people if you've only ever heard rumours. But, if she'd been offered, she probably would've joined Bella in the murder and torture of her father, for the worse things he did, only the three girls knew.

**A/N Did you love it? Did you hate it? If you were a person who took long enough to read through this, surely you don't mind spending another five minutes clicking the review button and telling me what you think? I love constructive criticism and if you've noticed any typos, feel free to go ahead and tell me. I was also thinking of perhaps going ahead, and actually writing this in detail, but I want to know what the readers think. So...? Also, feel free to check out my other fics **


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